Today, we read a story about Fauja Singh, who set the world record for oldest person to ever run a marathon!
Fauja faced lots of challenges in his life. He was born with several physical disabilities, and did not learn to walk until he was 5 years old. When he moved to England from Punjab, he faced discrimination because of his Sikh cultural background. Some people said racist, hurtful things to him because he wore a turban (part of his religious regalia).
But he never gave up, and decided to show the world that you can achieve anything, no matter who doubts you!
In the Foreward of this book, Fauja wrote: “All my life, people set limitations on me. They said I would never walk. Then they said I would never farm. They certainly never thought I would set records with my running. No matter what people said, I always believed in myself…
I’m now 108 years old, which means I’m probably 100 years older than [the readers of this book]! Can you believe that?
My secret to a long and healthy life has been taking care of my mind, body, and soul…I’d love for you to take care of yourself, try your hardest, and always choose yes when you meet and challenge. And who knows? Maybe one day you can break my record…Nothing would make me happier!”